It has been a damned serious business... Blucher and I have lost 30,000 men. It has been a damned nice thing - the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life. ... By God! I don't think it would have been done if I had not been there.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker describes a hard-fought victory where presence and leadership were decisive.
- In plain terms
- It was a very close and costly battle that only I could win.
- What can you take from it?
- Leadership can decide narrow victories.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When was the last time your presence mattered?
- How do you measure cost versus gain?
Another view
Attributing success solely to one person ignores collective effort.
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